During the reporting period, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) and Israeli settlers continue their violence against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, amounting to crimes and other violations of international law. These crimes have included willful killings, destruction of public and private property, arrests, threats, among others.
The remarkable spike in Israeli violations and crimes in the occupied West Bank has coincided with Israel’s perpetration of settlement activity and collective punishment measures against the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority (PA) following some European Countries’ recognition of the Palestinian state of.
In this report, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) highlights a number of monitored and documented crimes and violations committed by IOF and Israeli settlers against the Palestinians:
Killings and violation of the right to life and bodily integrity:
The IOF and settlers’ attacks during the reporting period in the West Bank have resulted in the killing of 29 Palestinians, including 23 civilians; amongst them 6 children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups. 5 of these members were killed in an extrajudicial execution in a house after being besieged in it in Deir al-Ghosoun village in Tulkarm while one was killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jenin. Also, a detainee form Gaza died in Israeli prisons.
So far in 2024, IOF attacks have killed 210 Palestinians, including 46 children, 4 women and 12 officially* reported dead in Israeli prisons; 7 of them from the Gaza Strip.
According to our field documentation, Israel has employed different methods and weaponry, either by shooting in protests or confrontations, military raids and assaults, drone strikes, or by carrying out extrajudicial killings by Israeli special units.
On 16 May 2024, 3 Palestinian civilians were killed and 5 were injured during an IOF’s incursion into Tulkarm refugee camp and demolition of Beit al-Maqdes Exchange Company.
On 22 May 2024, 12 Palestinians, including 4 children and a doctor, were killed during an incursion into Jenin and its refugee camp that continued for more than 50 hours, during which, 32 houses were demolished. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
Moreover, during the reporting period, 104 Palestinians were injured, including 26 children and 2 women. Among those injured, 15 are in critical condition, including 6 children.
Thus, since the beginning of the year, 610 Palestinians were injured, including 122 children, 7 women, a paramedic and a journalist.
Collective Punishment Measures against the PA
On the same day Norway, Spain and Ireland recognized the Palestinian State on 22 May 2024, the Israeli far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, decided 6 punitive measures against the Palestinians and the PA that included the following:
On 30 May 2024, the Israeli extremist Minister Smotrich threatened to turn the Palestinian cities, neighborhoods and refugee camps in northern West Bank into ruins like the Gaza Strip.
In a video recorded by himself that went viral on X, Smotrich said: “our message to the neighbors beyond the fence in Tulkarm (city), Shuwaikah (neighborhood in the city), Nur Shams (its refugee camp), and Qalqiliya. We will turn you into ruins like in the Gaza Strip, if the terror you are inflicting on the settlements continues”
Land confiscations and settlement expansion
During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers continued their settlement expansion policy materialized in confiscating and razing Palestinian lands to establish settlement outposts and expand settlements.
IOF razed agricultural lands in Area “B” in eastern Asira al-Qibliya village to expand “Yitsahar” settlement established in southeastern Nablus and other lands in Ras al-Nakhil area, southeastern Qusra village, aiming to expand “Esh Kodesh” settlement outpost, established in southeastern Nablus. They also placed a mobile house in the levelled area.
On 27 May 2024, Israeli settlers from “Betar Illit” settlement established a settlement road of 3 kilometers in Khelet Qeddis area in Husan village in the settlement’s center to lead to ‘Ein al-Taqa area aiming at connecting all the settlement units together.
Attacks on medical personnel
During the reporting period, we have monitored 4 attacks by IOF on Palestinian medical personnel, hospitals, ambulances and paramedics in the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other private ambulance stations.
On 02 May 2024, a group of settlers attacked a PRCS ambulance in Qusra village as it was transferring a child wounded in Qusra village, southeast of Nablus, and caused damage to it.
On 06 May 2024, IOF surrounded a PRCS medical point in Tulkarm refugee camp and destroyed it in addition to damaging the medical equipment inside it, forcing it out of service. Also, they detained the PRCS staff and volunteers and ordered them not to move or carry on their duty to help those wounded and evacuate them to the City’s hospital.
On 21 May 2024, IOF opened fire at PRCS ambulances and prevented it from moving on in Jenin refugee camp, which IOF had invaded.
On 28 May 2024, IOF held an ambulance belonging to Tulkarm Governmental Hospital at Deir Sharaf checkpoint, western Nablus, and arrested an anesthesiologist working in the hospital as he was inside the ambulance.
Demolition and land-razing
During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers demolished 100 facilities, including 27 houses; 26 of which were demolished under the pretext of construction without building permits, one was demolished as part of the collective punishment policy, 3 were self-demolished by the owners in al-‘Isawiya village in Jerusalem to avoid paying high municipal demolition expenses, one was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Jenin refugee camp and 38 houses were demolished during IOF’s incursions into Tulkarm, Jenin and Deir al-Ghusoun village in Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the rest facilities destroyed were 33 public and private facilities, amongst them animal farms, commercial facilities, a bakery, printing house, a kindergarten, water wells and 9 shops.
Moreover, during their incursions, IOF bulldozers conducted extensive destruction to the citiies and refugee camps in the West Bank, particularly to the infrastructure including water pipes, telephone and electricity lines in Tulkarm refugee camp, east of Tulkarm and Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus.
Settler violence
This month, Israeli settlers conducted 42 attacks against Palestinian villages and cities across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, mainly in the vicinity of Nablus governorate, road intersections, Za’tara, and near “Aliyah” settlement. In these attacks, settlers’ fire wounded 8 Palestinians, including 2 children; one of whom sustained a critical chest injury. Settlers also burnt 3 houses, a commercial facility, a farm and 3 barracks and wrote anti-Arab and Muslim slogans on the burnt houses signed by the extremist Israeli group, “Hilltop Youth.” They also stole 15 sheep, 5 farmers’ tents, Ford Transit vehicle and 15 tons of grain. Moreover, while sarcastically laughing, settlers set fire in the proximity of the UNRWA Headquarter building and its walls. They also uprooted hundreds of seedlings across the West Bank.
Raids and arrests
The IOF have conducted 1063 raids into Palestinian cities, refugee camps, and villages across the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, storming into several houses, going through their residents’ belongings, while damaging some, and abusing and subjecting their residents to ill-treatment. During these raids, the IOF have arrested 623 Palestinians1, including 25 children and 8 women while they confiscated 3 private vehicles, 4 agricultural tractors, q waste water tank and 2 concrete pumps and a truck. Also, they destroyed Samsung Company in Rafidia neighborhood and confiscated its contents after blowing up its door that scattered all over the street.
During their incursions on 30 May 2024, IOF moved into al-Bireh from the eastern side and raided al-‘Ajouli Exchange office on Ramallah-Jerusalem Street and Beit Nibala Exchange office after going throught their contents. Before their withdrawal, IOF took money from them and hanged warning panels at their entrances, claiming these exchange officers fund terrorism and thereby have been closed.
Moreover, fired teargas canisters and stun grenades in the central vegetable market under the Ramallah Municipal Complex. As a result, the market and municipal building caught fire, inflicting severe damage to both of them.
It should be noted that on 16 May 2024, IOF conducted a similar campaign during which they arrested directors and employees in al-Khaleej Exchange offices in the West Bank, searched several exchange offices and confiscated money from them.
IOF attacks in Jerusalem
IOF’s violations and Judaization attempts continued in occupied Jerusalem by approving the building of hundreds of new settlement units and entrenching their house demolition policy against Palestinians under various pretexts.
On 04 May 2024, IOF heavily deployed in the proximity of occupied East Jerusalem, Old City and its alleys and closed some of its gates with iron barriers, particularly the New Gate near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that IOF have changed into a closed military zone by erupting many checkpoints all the way to the Church. They also set up barriers in all squares and alleys leading to the church and limited the numbers allowed to enter the Church and its yards.
On 22 May 2024, the Israeli National Security Minister Itmar Ben Gvir raided al-Aqsa Mosque the first time in over 8 months and without previously announcing. He was accompanied and surrounded police and security officers while a footage that went viral showed one of his guards performing religious rituals in al-Aqsa Mosque.
On 30 May 2024, the Israeli occupation authorities ordered UNRWA to evacuate its headquarter in al-Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem within a month, “for allegedly operating on state land without the Israel Land Authority’s consent.
According to “Ynet” news website, the Legal advisor to Israel Land Authority wrote a letter to UNRWA: “according to our investigations and available information, you are occupying 35 dunums of the Israel Land Authority’s property in Jerusalem without our consent.”
He added in his letter, “ the state of Israel confiscated this land in 2006 and UNRWA established its buildings on it without a permit (…), so you are required to stop the illegal use of this land and destroy everything you have built in violation of law.”
The Land Authority also wrote that the agency owes it NIS 27,125,280 ($7,326,711.19) for a delayed lease in addition to paying annual use fees until the actual use stops.
Press Freedoms
On 05 May 2024, the Israeli police in Jerusalem closed Al-Jazeera Channel Office in Ambassador Hotel in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City. They confiscated the Channel’s equipment and closed it for good following the Israeli Government’s voting to shut down Al-Jazeera Channel’s offices in Israel and occupied Jerusalem and cease its operation.
Restriction on freedom of movement and checkpoints
The IOF have established more military checkpoints in the West Bank and tightened restrictions on freedom of movement between the cities and villages, rendering them isolated and entrenching the geographical fragmentation. During the reporting period, the IOF established 456 temporary checkpoints along the streets and between the villages. They also erected tens of permanent checkpoints aiming to restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement by searching and arresting them. During the reporting period, IOF arrested 27 Palestinians, including 3 children and a female engineer, at those checkpoints.
On 01 April 2024, IOF closed off with barbed wire Karantina Cemetery in the Old City of Hebron, the only entrance to the houses of 25 families.
On 05 April 2024, IOF closed with cement cubes the entrance to Hajjah village, northeast of Qalqilya Governorate.
Palestinians are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment at checkpoints, hindering their movement and endangering their lives based on mere fallacious suspicions that have led to their killing or arrest allegedly for being “wanted”. These checkpoints have also brought unbearable suffering to Palestinian women, particularly pregnant women, as two gave birth to their babies after being delayed at these checkpoints.
During the reporting period, 6 Palestinians, including 3 women, were executed in Qalqilya, Tubas and Hebron under the pretext of carrying out car-ramming and stabbing attacks at these checkpoints. The last three executions took place on 24 April 2024 killing Maimonah ‘Abdel-Hamed Harahsheh (20), a resident of the city of Hebron, at Route 60 checkpoint in northern Hebron City.
Among the most prominent violations carried out at these checkpoints, on 13 April 2024, Hammam Jbour (22), from Salim village, east of Nablys, lost his left eye after one of the Isrraeli soldiers deliberately inserted the rifle’s barrel into Jbour’s left eye while the latter was crossing the checkpoint. Afterwards, he was transferred to Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus.
*According to the Israeli media, many more detainees from the Gaza Strip died in the Israeli prisons due to torture and medical neglect, but the Israeli authorities have not officially announced yet.
